Use the article excerpt to answer the question.

Question

Are commercial honeybees making wild bees sick?: What they found

All of the honeybee colonies tested by the researchers were positive for both viruses, an unfortunate but common occurrence for commercial colonies.

But the number of wild bumblebees carrying viruses varied depending on the proximity to the domesticated hives. There was also variation between the two viruses.

More than 90 percent of bumblebees collected close to apiaries carried black queen cell virus. In sites farther from apiaries, and where no honeybees were foraging, just under 40 percent were positive for this virus. When the researchers checked for actual infections, they found that the proximity to an apiary wasn’t telling of whether a bumblebee was infected with black queen cell virus. That means sites near and far from a commercial beehive had the same abundance of black queen cell virus infections.

The connection was clearer for deformed wing virus infections. Twenty percent of bumblebees foraging close to apiaries carried the virus on their outsides and 10 percent had active infections. But in sites more than a half mile away from an apiary, where honeybees were absent, not a single bumblebee tested positive for deformed wing virus — as a carrier or with an infection.

When the researchers looked at infected flowers, they noticed a similar trend. Of the 20 percent of flowers that tested positive for viruses, all were picked close to apiaries. And the denser the flower patch in these areas, the higher the rate of deformed wing virus infection in bumblebees.

Researchers claimed they found a relationship between bumblebee infections and how close the bumblebees were to honeybee apiaries.

What evidence from the text best supports this analysis?

Answer 1

The evidence from the text that best supports the analysis of a relationship between bumblebee infections and their proximity to honeybee apiaries includes the following points:

1. Infection Rates of Bumblebees Near Apiaries: The text states that "more than 90 percent of bumblebees collected close to apiaries carried black queen cell virus," while in areas farther from the apiaries, "just under 40 percent were positive for this virus." This indicates a clear correlation between proximity to commercial honeybee hives and the prevalence of this virus among bumblebees.

2. Deformed Wing Virus Presence: The analysis of deformed wing virus showed that "20 percent of bumblebees foraging close to apiaries carried the virus on their outsides and 10 percent had active infections." In contrast, it states that in sites more than half a mile away from apiaries, "not a single bumblebee tested positive for deformed wing virus." This stark difference reinforces the connection between honeybee hives and bumblebee infections.

3. Infected Flowers: The observation that "of the 20 percent of flowers that tested positive for viruses, all were picked close to apiaries" further supports the idea that the presence of commercial honeybees contributes to virus transmission in the surrounding environment.

Overall, these points collectively illustrate that bumblebee virus infections are closely linked to their proximity to honeybee hives, highlighting the potential impact of commercial honeybees on wild bee populations.